Barber to be first on school board ballotChallenger Joel Barber, who is seeking incumbent Michael Robbins’ seat on the Dover School Board, will appear first on the ballot for the Pope County school board elections in September. The order of the three-candidate race was determined during a ballot draw conducted by the Pope County Election Commissioners at the election headquarters on Thursday. Robbins will appear second, and challenger Mark O. Evans will appear third. Both Barber and ...

Waste Management buys D.C. TrashThe Dardanelle City Council consented to Waste Management Inc.’s acquisition of D.C. Trash, shifting the latter’s current obligations, contracts, leases and performance bonds with the city over to Waste Management. “All employees with D.C. Trash will keep their jobs,” Dardanelle Mayor Carolyn McGee said. “The current two-year contract we had with them [D.C. Trash] goes until December 31, 2016, so everything was transferred over with the City C...

Tropical Smoothie added to RussellvilleA Community Development representative said a Tropical Smoothie will be built on North Arkansas Avenue next to Goodyear, where a former Mediterranean eatery was located.

Hotel update in RussellvilleGregg Long, vice president for Crafton Tull of Russellville, confirmed that a Courtyard by Marriott will be built on a lot on East Aspen Lane. Previously a hotel and then turned into apartments for Arkansas Tech University students, Russellville Properties LLC has split the property into two lots, one for the Courtyard by Marriott and another for another future business. Have you heard of a new business coming to Russellville? Email sean@couri...

High performance awardDistrict 71 State Representative Ken Henderson (left) presented a check to Russellville Junior High School for high performance. The school performed in the top 20 percent based on academic achievement, academic growth and graduation rates. The Department of Education created the Arkansas School Recognition Program to provide funds for improving and maintaining student performance. Pictured with Henderson are (from left) assistant principal Sh...

Arkansas Dentistry & Braces set to open clinicA representative of Arkansas Dentistry & Braces confirmed Wednesday that a clinic is being built on West Main Street in Russellville. The corporate office of Arkansas Dentistry & Braces is located in Fayetteville, and there are 16 clinics throughout Arkansas: Benton, Bentonville, Brinkley, Blytheville, Clarksville, Fayetteville, Fort Smith, Forrest City, two in Jonesboro, Paragould, Sheridan, Siloam Springs, Van Buren and two in West Memphis. ...

Finance Committee tables itemsBY SEAN INGRAM sean@couriernews.com The Russellville City Council’s Finance Committee tabled a few items from a long agenda during its regular meeting Tuesday because there are concerns about money in the General Fund. Committee members Mark Tripp (chairman), Spence Roberts, Bill Eaton and Freddie Harris did recommend to pay an $800 air conditioning bill inside a Municipal Airport building for Lake Dardanelle Emergency Services. The committee ...

Pope County Library summer reading programAs part of the Pope County Library Summer Reading Program, “Every hero has a story,” local children learned about the childhood and military career of Zachary Pryor and his service dog, Juliette. Each week, children learn about local heroes in the community and how they can be heroes in their everyday lives. The Pope County Library has two more weeks of programs for the Summer Reading Program. For more information, call 479-968-4368.

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The Courier/Joshua MashonThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Three candidates file for spot on Dover School BoardBefore candidate filing for school board elections came to a close at noon on Tuesday, another challenger threw his hat in the ring for incumbent Michael Robbins’ position on the Dover School Board. Mark O. Evans filed in opposition to Robbins on June 30, the same day the incumbent made his bid for re-election official. On Monday, Joel Barber added his name to the list of candidates seeking to replace Robbins in Dover. Incumbent Shawn Rooke fi...

Community photo: Arkansas Municipal LeagueThe Arkansas Municipal League at its 81st Convention, held June 24-26 in Little Rock, honored Alderman Bill Eaton with the Adrian L. White Municipal Leadership Award. The award was presented during the Awards and New Officers’ Luncheon by 2014-2015 League President and Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola. The Adrian White award is given to municipal officials who have served with distinction and dedication to the League’s boards, councils, or commi...

Sales tax vote moves forwardThe Russellville City Council’s Finance Committee asked City Attorney Trey Smith to create an ordinance that will ask voters to approve or reject a quarter-cent sales tax issue in November. Then the council voted to sell 45 acres of land on Industrial Boulevard for a new business that is scheduled to open in early 2017. Finance Director Jerry McKaughan told the council an ordinance needs to be approved to take the referendum to the public in N...

Volunteers needed for river cleanupRecent rains and statewide floods have led to an abnormally high Arkansas River flow, but volunteers who plan to remove trash from the river and park areas on Saturday aren’t letting it put a damper on their efforts. Registration for the fifth annual Arkansas River Cleanup Day at Lake Dardanelle State Park will begin at 8 a.m., and the cleanup will last until 10:30, with a hot dog lunch provided for the volunteers at 11 in the grassy area acro...

Rebel ride not without controversy Tyler Titsworth spent Monday counting food donations for the Main Street Mission given at the Pope County Rebel Ride on Sunday, which saw around 700 vehicles sporting Confederate flags, decals and signs in support of what the group calls “southern heritage.” Titsworth delivered 1,088 cans, around 150 dried foods, an unspecified amount of baby food, $106 and a stack of clothes to Main Street Mission. For him, the delivery sent a very clear mess...

Feeding the River Valley's kidsKristin Foster broke away from a quick interview in the humid, old Russellville Gardner Junior High building to fetch canned strawberries and more bags. Everyone bustled about in an ordered frenzy, sacking up food to feed more than 600 youths throughout the Arkansas River Valley. Two years ago Foster and other community members from various churches in Russellville started the River Valley Food 4 Kids program, which operates for 10 weeks durin...

Crude oil tumbles 8 percent, points to low fall gas pricesAssociated Press NEW YORK — A slew of global economic and geopolitical factors are working to pummel the price of oil and set up U.S. drivers for very low gasoline prices later this year. The price of U.S. crude dropped 7.7 percent Monday to close at $52.53 a barrel and is now down nearly 15 percent from the high for the year set on June 10. Gasoline prices in the U.S. will likely slide somewhat from a national average of $2.77 over the next f...

Water case goes back to courtThe former board of directors for the Southwest Atkins Water Users Association and three former members will have to come back to Pope County Circuit Court in August. District Judge Ken Coker Jr. set a pretrial hearing for 9 a.m. on Aug. 7 after he merged the counterclaim lawsuit of Debbie and Gary Duvall with a new lawsuit filed by Mitch Casto, former Association board chairman. Coker cited that both suits asked for the same thing — for the r...

Council sets 3 meetings on TuesdayThe Russellville City Council’s Finance Committee will kick off three meetings at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall. The Agenda Preparation meeting is set to begin at 6, with a special City Council meeting to follow at 6:30. Aldermen will again discuss a quarter-cent sales tax and could put it on the agenda for the July 16 regular meeting. A half-cent sales tax was first proposed, but Finance Director Jerry McKaughan told City Council members on ...

2015 Yell County Farm FamilyAfter growing up on a dairy farm in Concord and tending to the daily labors demanded by such a lifestyle, Divella Gray swore at age 16 she would never marry a farmer or live on a farm. “I was done with that, I thought, because it was very confining” she said. “But nothing could pull me away from here now. This is where I want to be. I think I may be a workaholic.” Her and her husband Richie’s work, laborious and unceasing as it is, has paid of...

Pope County Rebel Ride and Food DriveHundreds of cars made their way to Old Post Park in Russellville Sunday afternoon in response to the recent controversy over the Confederate flag following the shooting in Charleston, S.C. The Pope County Rebel Ride and Food Drive began at Old Post Park where vehicles lined up after donating non-perishable food items and then drove through town with their flags waving in the wind. The Pope County Rebel Ride Facebook event page, which had 645 p...